Dyeing machine



March 4, 1924.` I 1,485,884

' R. c. RAHM DYEING MACHINE Mrch 4 1924;

R. C, RAHM DYEING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fi1ed`July 19. 1922 Patented Mar. 4, 1924.,

UNITED 'rss ROBERT CARL Bann, or wYoMissiNG, rnivnsimviiiani.y

DYEING: IVLACHINE.

Application filed July 19,

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CARL RAHM, a citizen of the United States, residing,w at Vyomissing,A in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dyeing Machines, of which the following is a speciication.

p My invention relates particularly to dyem ing machines which employ a fabric receptacle pivotally movable into and out of the liquid tank in connection with an agitator pivotally movable into and out of said receptacle; and my main object is to provide improved operating means for these movable parts whereby both requiredV rotation of the agitator, and intermittent raising and lowering thereof and of the heavily loaded or empty receptacle, may be most conveniently and satisfactorily effected. The invention is fully set forth in connection with the vaccompanying drawing and the novel features are clearly defined in the subjoined claims.

F ig. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a complete machine embodying my invention in preferred form; partially raised positions of the swinging parts being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is mainly gan end elevation'of the same, but with certain of the parts shownin cross-section on the lines 2-2, 2- a of Fig. 1; the agitator arms and engaging wheels being represented as swung. to the dottedline position of Fig. 1. n

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the main drive shaft and its clutch-connected countershaft. Y

The fabric receptacle 5 is pivotally connected at 6 to the frame 7 in which the'liquid V tank 8 is fixed, so as to swing into and out of the latter in an arc 5a as indicated; and the agitator 10 rotatable with shaft 11, is carried by arms 12 arranged to Swingin the arc'10a upon the transverse axle 13 so as to lower or raise the agitator into or out of the receptacle 5; this general arrangement being known as set forth in Smiths Patent No. 794,560 of July 11, 1905.

Quadrant arms 15,15 iixed to the pivot V shaft 6 lwith thev fabric 'receptacle 5, mesh with gear wheels 16, 16 so that rotation of the latter will raise or lower said receptacle; said gear wheels 16 rotating upon an axis 13a eccentric to said pivotal axle 13, and said agitator carrier arms 12 being also raised or i922. serial N0.'575,941.

lowered thereby upon the pivotal axle 13 as herei1iafter further described; while rotary movement is imparted to the agitator itself through a double sprocket sleeve 20-21,

(Fig. 2) Vwhich is loosely mounted oii an end of said pivotal axle 13 and carries a drive chain 22eiigaging with a sprocket wheel 23 fixed lto the agitator shaft 11, (Fig. 1).

Desired turning of the gear Wheels 16 to cause raising or lowering of the receptacle 5 and agitator 10; and of the double sprocketwheel sleeve 20-21 to rotate the agitator; is effected by a common power shaft 25; thisv being effected through an intermediate drive shaft 26, which is provided with fixed pinions 27 arranged in mesh with said gear wheels 16,y and also with a loosely mounted sprocket wheel 28, 28et directly driven by said power shaft and carrying a chain V29 arranged to drive said sprocket-wheelv sleeve 20--21.`

l This intermediate shaft 26 must be rotated in reverse directions so as to either raise or lower the yreceptacle and agitator, as desired; and to' accomplish this I employ in connection with the power shaft 25, a countershaft 36 adapted to be driven in reverse directions as determined by operation of a clutch sleeve 40 thereon. The power shaft 25, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, is driven by a motor 35, and is arranged to directly drive the agitator-rotating sprocket wheel 28 on shaft 26, by means of a worm Wheel 28a fixed to saidsprocket wheel and arranged in engagement with a worm 41 fixed to said power shaft. The countershaft 36 loosely carries two spaced-apart pinions 42 and 43 respectively; pinion 42 being arranged in direct mesh with a fixed gear 44 on said power shaft, and pinion 43 being in indirect mesh through an idler 45 (Fig. 1), with a similar fixed gear 46 thereon; while the intermediate splined clutch sleeve 40 is movable from the normal neutral position indicated, into engagement with either pinion 42 or 43 so vas to cause rotation of the countershaft respectively in reverse .or Alike 'direction to the power shaft. The countershaft is also provided with fixed worm '41, which is arranged in engagement with a Worm wheel 47 lfixed to the drive shaft 26. Thus when the power shaft 25 only is driven, as indicated, the only effect is to rotate the agitator; while when the clutch is moved to engage the countershaft therewith both'the agitator and fabric receptacle will be simultaneously swung, upward or downward as desired.

As previously stated, rotation of the gear wheels 16 not onlyraises or lowers the fabric receptacle V5, but also simultaneously raises or lowers the agitator 10; the latter movement being effected independently of the rotation of the agitator by the operating chains 29 and 22 upon the loosely mounted double sprocket sleeve 20-21 on axle 13. To provide for starting and stopping the swinging movementof the agitator in proper relation to the corresponding movement of the fabric receptacle, l provide for automatically engaging the wheel or wheels 16 with the agitator carrying arms 12; this being effected, as shown, by the mounting of vsaid wheels upon the stud axis'l eccentric to the pivotal axle 13 of said carrying arms as-previously in.entioned, and by providing the inner face of'one or both wheelsY 16 with a projection having spaced flanges 51 and 52 of different radial extent and adapted to engage and disengage a lateral projection 53 on the carrying` arm-12. As shown in Fig. 1 the projection V53 is in full engagement between the flanges 51 and 52 of the wheel projection; but as the wheel rotates on its eccentric'stud axis 13a while the carrier arms 12's'wing upon the pivotal axle 13, theA arm 12 is disengaged from the wheel 16 when the agitator has been sufficiently swung as is indicated in the'dotted lines) so as to allow the wheel 16 to continue the elevating of the fabric receptacle while the agitator remains in suitably supported elevation. VIn lowering the parts the agitator arms are similarly engaged automatically as required.

I The movement of the clutch l0` is effected by a'pivoted clutch arm 55, which `may be operated by a suitable hand lever 56 to start raising or lowering of the receptacle and agitator; but provision is made for automatically returning the clutch to disengaged neutral position upon completion of the desired raising. or lowering movement, by providing the-wheel 16 with stop projections 57,

57a adapted to oppositely engage the clutch arm 55 at determined ypoints of the wheel rotation.

It will be understood that usual means may be readily provided for counterbalancing the weights of both the receptacle 5 and agitator, as is indicated at 12a, 12b in connection with the latter; and that the detailed construction set forth may be readily Vmodi'- fied. My invention enables Ythefraising of the parts for emptying and filling, and the relowering of same for treatment of the fabrics, to be effected with such Vfacility Vvand simplicity of mechanism and operation as is of great practical advantage.

What IV claim is:

1. The combination with a liquid tank, a

pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into-and out ofY said receptacle; of a common drive shaft and intermediate operating means adapted to either rotate said agitator independently, or to swing both said agitator and receptacle;

y 2. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing Vinto or out of said tank, and a rotary agita- Y tor pivotally mounted to swing into and-outV of saidreceptacle; of'a common drive shaft and intermediate operating means adapted to rotate said agitator and simultaneously swing both the agitator and saidreceptacle.

3. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swinginto and out of said receptacle; of a common drive shaft and intermediate operating means adapted both to rotate said agitator and to selectively raise or lower the agitator and said receptacle jointly. Y

4l. The combination with a liquid tank,'a Y

pivoted fabric Areceptacle mounted to-swing into or out of said tank, and arrotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into and out of said receptacle; of means for jointly raising or lowering said agitator and receptacle, and means for determinedly stopping the Vmovement Vof one of said parts while continuing the other. I

5. The combination withl a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing-intoY and out of said receptacle; of means forV jointly raising or lowering` said agitator and receptacle, means for automatically stopping the Vmovement ofv oneV ofl said parts while continuing the other.l

6. They combination with a liquidtank, a

Vpivoted. fabric receptacle mounted to swinginto yor out of said tank, and a Vrotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into and out of said receptacle; of a main drive shaft, a countershaft having Va reversing clutch-gear connection thereto,-rotating means for said agitator operated byv said main shaft, and swinging mechanism for Y said receptacle and agitator-'jointly operated by said' countershaft.

7. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptaclemounted to swing lao into or out of Vsaid tank, Vand a rotary agitator pivotally. mounted to swing into and out of said receptacle;V of a main drive shaft, a countershaft having a reversing clutch-gear connection thereto, rotating means for said agitator operated by said main shaft, swinging mechanism forsaid receptacle and agitator jointly operated byV said countershaft, and clutch-operating means adapted to automatically stop the swinging action in each direction.

8. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into and out of said receptacle; of a main drive shaft, a countershaft having a reversing clutchgear connection thereto, rotating means for said agitator operated by said main shaft, swinging mechanism for said receptacle and agitator jointly operated by said countershaft, means for automatically connecting and disconnecting the agitator and receptacle for determined swinging periods, and

clutch-operating means for automatically stopping the swinging action in each direction.

9. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into and out of said receptacle; of a main drive shaft, a countershaft having a reversing clutchgear connection thereto, an intermediate shaft in gear with said countershaft and loosely carrying an agitator drive wheel arranged in gear with said main shaft, a receptacle-swinging gear wheel driven by lsaid intermediate shaft and arranged to also swingingly engage said agitator, and la loosely-mounted sprocket wheel arranged 4to .transmit rotary motion from said drive wheel to the agitator.

10. The combination with a liquid tank, a pivoted fabric receptacle mounted to swing into or out of said tank, and a rotary agitator pivotally mounted to swing into kand out of said receptacle; of a main drive shaft, a countershaft having a reversing clutchgear connection thereto, 'an intermediate shaft in gear with said countershaft and loosely carrying an agitator drive wheel arranged in gear with said main shaft, a receptacle-swinging gear wheel driven by said adapted to periodically engage and disengage the latter. v p

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

Rois.,V CARL RAHM. 

